Re:Zero ― The Scapegoat's Oath: If Subaru Vowed to Put Emilia on the Throne - Unbreakable Core

His body creaked. Natsuki Subaru opened his eyes just a sliver, lying on the cobblestones. What swam into his blurred vision wasn't the familiar ceiling of Roswaal's mansion, but the pale white sky of early dawn. Fragments of last night came flooding back in pieces. Rem's tears. The dull ache of fractured ribs. The sensation of his forehead grinding against the stone. And that smile of Roswaal's — all of it. "...This is the worst." He tried to get up and immediately regretted it. His entire body screamed in pain. Muscles, bones, skin — every single part of him was shrieking "don't move." His left flank was especially bad. That was where Rem's small fist had buried itself. His ribs — probably two of them — were bent in directions they shouldn't be. "H-hurts..." A pathetic voice leaked out. He tried to stand, but his elbows trembled violently, and he collapsed back onto the cobblestones. (*Pathetic.*) A self-deprecating smirk twisted his lips. Like this, how was he supposed to break free from Roswaal's strings and fight his own fight? He couldn't even move a single finger properly. That was when it happened. Deep in his head, something ignited with a soft *pop*. "I'm done moving according to Roswaal's script." He clenched his teeth. The broken bones ground against his flesh from the inside. But that pain alone felt like proof that he was still himself. *I'm not your pawn. I decide what I want to do.* He said it out loud. It was a feeble voice. Still, it felt different somehow from the voice that had screamed while coughing up blood last night. He stood. This time, he forced his trembling knees straight, stumbling three, four times as he rose. Every muscle in his body shrieked. His left flank especially burned with every breath, like fire. "...Seriously, this freaking hurts." Grumbling, he staggered forward. This was fine. Complain, but stand anyway. That was the only way he could fight right now. --- Morning. It was the mansion's study that Roswaal summoned him to. "Why, Subaru-kun. Your walking is as splendid as ever. Just like a broken doll being forced to move." The moment he entered the room, a syrupy voice greeted Subaru. Long, deep-blue hair swaying, the snake-like heterochromatic eyes set in a clown's painted face twisted with amusement. In front of this man, every pain, every resolve — it all felt like it was being seen through completely. "What do you want?" Subaru answered with a cold voice. He couldn't let his pain show. Roswaal snapped his fingers with theatrical flair. "It's quite simple. This afternoon. You're aware there's a regular report session for the royal selection candidates, yes? There, you will publicly insult Emilia-sama and fundamentally deny her passion for the royal selection. Call her cowardly, incompetent, and incapable of offering even a single word to her people." A sharp twinge ran through Subaru's temple. "...That's the finishing touch to your plan?" "Precisely! With this, her support base will decisively collapse. You will draw all the hatred upon yourself, while Emilia-sama garners sympathy as a pitiful victim. A beautiful conclusion." Roswaal took a step closer. Cold fingers touched Subaru's chin. "A clever boy like you knows what happens if you refuse, doesn't he? All the information leaked so far will be relayed to noble society as your independent actions. The one pursued won't be Emilia-sama — it will be you alone." Subaru couldn't even brush the fingers away. He just stayed silent. He clenched his fist. "...Understood." The voice was so mechanical he couldn't believe it was his own. And yet, inside his gut, a different scheme was already beginning to churn. (*You think I'll actually do it, clown?*) Roswaal showed no sign whatsoever of believing that reply. He merely let out a soft, quiet laugh. *Fufufu.* --- The instant he left the study, Subaru passed Ram in the hallway. Her short pink hair swayed as she walked with the same expressionless face as always. But her pace was just slightly faster than usual. "Barusu. Looking that battered, you'd better not be thinking up something stupid again." Her usual sharp tongue. But Subaru already knew — beneath that voice, there was a faint tinge of worry. With his back to the door of Roswaal's study, Subaru spoke deliberately loud enough to be heard. "Ram-neesan, Roswaal-sama really treasures his teacher, doesn't he?" Ram's eyebrow twitched. "...What's this, all of a sudden?" "Those records about his teacher. The ones from 400 years ago. I wonder if they're still properly preserved." Subaru feigned a casual tone. Just small talk. He made it sound that way. But beneath the words, he was hinting at the root of Roswaal's madness — his obsession with his teacher from 400 years ago, and his true goal of killing the dragon. If it was Ram, she should understand. Ram didn't react immediately. But the gaze she directed at Subaru sharpened, for just an instant, like a blade. She said nothing. She asked nothing. But Subaru didn't miss the invisible change that flickered across her face. She averted her eyes from Subaru and began walking again. Her back. Her shoulders were raised just a little higher than usual. Her pace was just a little faster. The message got through. That was enough for Subaru. --- As he started walking down the hallway, silver hair swayed from around the corner. Emilia. When she spotted Subaru, she stopped. Her large violet eyes fixed directly on his bandage-wrapped hands. She said nothing. But in those eyes, an inescapably deep shade of worry surfaced. (*Here she comes, huh.*) Subaru averted his gaze. Emilia tried to take a step closer. But Subaru was faster, striding briskly away down the hallway. He felt a gentle warmth spreading at the center of his chest. He couldn't shake it off. As if to outrun that warmth, Subaru broke into a run. --- Just moments before the afternoon assembly. Subaru stood in the hallway in front of Emilia's room. If he moved according to Roswaal's instructions, everything would be complete in a few dozen minutes. "Cowardly, incompetent..." He tried to voice the words of insult. But his throat clenched tight, as if it had closed up, and no sound came out. Those words kept spinning in the back of his mind. *"I believe in you."* Emilia's voice clung to the depths of his ears and wouldn't leave. No matter how coldly Subaru treated her, she always said that in a voice that sounded close to tears. Those eyes of hers always saw through every lie. "...Hurt her any more than this..." A hoarse voice escaped him. He couldn't do it. He wasn't some actor written into Roswaal's script. He decided what he wanted to do. Subaru didn't knock on the door. He turned on his heel. He turned on his heel and began walking down the hallway. Feeling the weight of Emilia's unseen gaze on his back, he still faced forward. This was his first clear act of defiance against Roswaal. With this, he had taken a step away from being the clown's pawn and toward a battle of his own choosing. At the end of the hallway, Subaru's ears definitely caught it. "*Fufufu...*" From far away, Roswaal's laughter. A cold smile directed at Subaru, who had disobeyed his orders, dissolved into the hallway's air and vanished. His body creaked, his wounds still unhealed. But Subaru no longer stopped. To move forward on his own two feet.

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Episode 6

Name: Re:Zero ― The Scapegoat's Oath: If Subaru Vowed to Put Emilia on the Throne
Author: Novelia

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